1.38 million Olympic tickets go on sale next month

Xinhua Beijing, April 23 (Xinhua) Organisers of August’s Beijing Olympics announced Wednesday that the third round of domestic ticket sales will start from May 5 and close June 9. A total of 1.38 million tickets will be put on sale for 16 sports, including athletics, boxing, basketball, football. Buyers are allowed to purchase a maximum of six tickets — three tickets each for two session — but they could buy six more once payment is made. Ticket will be sold on a ‘first come, first served’ basis at Bank of China outlets and on the official ticketing website, Zhu Yan, head of the Olympics ticketing centre, told a press conference.

“There are roughly 100 days to go before the Games open. We don’t have enough time for a lottery draw,” said Zhu. He promised that the meltdown of the booking system, which disrupted the earlier round of ticket sales would not happen again. The design for the tickets has drawn on the National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, and the “Cloud of Promise” as the main visual elements, said Zhu.

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Cambodia supports Olympics: Minister

Phnom Penh: Cambodia fully supports China’s hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the national media quoted Thong Khon, Tourism Minister and chairman of the Olympic Committee of Cambodia (OCC), as saying. The Cambodian government, OCC, as well as all the athletes and people of the country, support China’s hosting of the games, the minister told Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News.

King Norodom Sihamoni will attend the opening ceremony in Beijing, and OCC will also send a delegation of over 10 members to participate in the games, he said. “I, too, am ready to go to Beijing and watch the games,” if the schedule permits, he added. Thong Khon stressed that the principle of “letting sports be sports” must be respected.

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Ecuadorian walker Perez trains alone

Quito: Ecuadorian speed walker Jefferson Perez is training alone at his native city of Cuenca (south) because he aims to win a gold medal for his South American country in Beijing. Perez, 33, considered Ecuador’s greatest athlete, has said that world ranking is not important in an Olympic year.

“I want to get ready for Beijing Olympic Games,” stated Perez, adding that this is probably the last time he is participating at the Olympics. The Beijing games will be Perez’s fourth Olympics. In 1996, Perez won the gold medal in the 20 kilometres walk in Atlanta.

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Cuba eye two more berths in boxing

Havana: Cuban boxers Yampier Hernandez and Julio La Cruz will participate in Guatemala City’s pre-Olympic tournament April 25-30 when they will seek to obtain two boxing berths for Beijing. Cuban Boxing Federation’s secretary-general Jose Barrientos confirmed that Hernandez will fight in the 48-kg category, while La Cruz will compete in the 91-kg category.

This will be La Cruz’s second opportunity, since he lost in his second fight during the region’s first elimination tournament in Trinidad and Tobago in March. Hernandez will substitute Ivan Perez (mini flyweight), who also lost in Trinidad and Tobago. In all, 137 boxers from 27 countries are competing in Guatemala City.

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Beijing’s efforts to have green Olympics

Beijing: Wang Gang, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said Beijing had made great efforts to improve its natural environment conditions over the past six years.

“The Green Olympics is one of the most important themes of the Beijing Games. The city has made great efforts, and succeeded in improving its environment, especially its air quality, to fulfil the environmental commitment it made when bidding for the Games,” Wang said. He stressed the city had also achieved a lot in curbing water pollution, noise control and waste processing.

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Carrefour supports Beijing Games

Paris: The chairman of French supermarket chain Carrefour Jose Luis Duran has said that calls for boycott of Beijing Olympics were acts with ulterior motives, and that Carrefour would make its utmost efforts to support the Games.

Duran said China was given the honour of hosting the Olympics, which is an opportunity for the country to present its achievements since the adoption of the opening-up policy. In an interview, he also denied reports that his company supported Tibetan separatists. Carrefour will go all out to support the Beijing Olympics and he will attend the opening ceremony, Duran said. Xinhua